The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1887-05-25
"JOc Prince" On COLLEGES.
BILL

Experimental Stations believed to be Hum
bugs. Ditto for agricultural colleges
"Joe" submits a Proposition and makes
aBanter.
About half my time I imagine that |
am a wonderful genius. The other half
] am i'm doubt aud am awfully afraid
that | am little more nor less than ahalf
fool. Just at this time | am on tho fool
iah order. Whom / get in this fix | cam
think and feel like other people. Ican't
understand the simplest proposition,
though it appears 80 plaii, to everybody
else,
/ have just been reading an article in
the I~.aurcnsvillc Hcrutd signed big
jack big Jack" can't SEQ the valu,
ofthe Experimental Stations, so much
talked Of n read of, as about to be cs-
tablished in South Carolina. Well, of
course everybody will that "Big Jack"
is very duh student, that he is too dun
to see anything. Everybody will think
thLs, except me. Just at this limo full
~ agree with "Big Jack" concerning
the stations. Thus far | think his hcad
In running level. have never yet
known n farmer to learn anything about
farming that was worth anything, ex-
ccpt what he learned right at homo on
his own farm.
Experimental stations arc not now.
They have been tried one way and an
other in different places for n long time,
and yet they have never givcnany light
or help to the farming interest.
But then | wish l could go on with
"Big Jack" and agree with him all
through his letter, but i can't. "Big
jack liz right III for an Agricultural
College, and have just as little faith in
that as ! have in tho stations. You had
just as well send a man to College to
learn to be n blacksmith or II shoc-mak-
or as to send him there to learn TO be n
farmer. Almost every single farm has
pcculiaritics OF its own, and If run sue
cessfully, it must be learned rig Int there.
And thcn again, have never known n
young man to graduate in any Agricul-
tural College, and come back homo and
go TO farming; of course there arc such
instances. but they must TO rare.
And then again, l know thcrc arc no
such graduates i'm this community, and
yet / believe ] will throw out q banter.
Send one of tho brightest Of such grad
utacs up hcre, and lot him take charge
of ono OF tho best farmsin this ncighbor-
hood and run II one year with tho means
ut hand, and then lot the owner run IL
the next year in his W way, and II the
owner don't beat tho graduate out
light, l will pay the cost of tho export
ment. That's a fair proposition, the
proof Of tho pudding etc.
l boliovo 1T is said that about 4 per cent
OF such graduates do go homo and go to
farming. / don't know whore thoy arc
but L suppose they arc somewhere.
Hunt them out and hi venture that
three out of the -four havo lmade n dead
failure. This is another fair proposition.
Who will take IL up?
But my q eatest objection to tho Ag-
%ricultural College is to como yet. In
fact, ] have no real objection to such a
College per sc, but / do object to such n
College, or any college, being establish
cd and sustained by general taxation,
when u Is utterly impossible for ninety
hino ont ofovery hundred of tho tax.
payers to bo benefited by IL. 1 object
to It because IL suniust, 1t is not honest,
1t is robbors'. 1 hayo been paying taxes